1. Scope of Invention
This invention relates generally to skin cleaning and conditioning agents, and more particularly to an improved facial skin abrading, conditioning and moisturizing compound in paste or cream form.
2. Prior Art
One of the early methods of exfoliating the skin was the use of LAVA soap. Later, other ingredients were used such as almond scrubs, apricot kernal scrubs and diatimatious earth as being somewhat less abusive to the skin during exfoliation. Scrubbing the skin with these compounds would remove the top layers of dead skin, particularly facial skin, to make it look clearer and more youthful.
LOOFA sponges or a "buff puff" produce the same effect with somewhat better results, however. Following that improvement, a more recent method of exfoliation was introduced into a clinical or a beauty salon setting. This latest procedure, most popularly recognized under the term "Power Peel" or "Microdermabrasion" involves the utilization of a machine which shoots a blast of aluminum oxide onto the skin to create controlled skin injury producing an immediate body reaction to effect repair. As a result, healthy, plump skin cells are produced in a substantially shorter time than does the natural skin replacement cycle of 21 to 28 days. As the results of the Power Peel are cumulative, most technicians recommend five (5) to ten (10) treatments spaced apart a week or two, especially where brown spots, fine lines, stretch marks, chicken-pock marks and even tattoos are to be removed. However, the Power Peel is a very costly process and must be done in a clinical setting by trained technicians.
The use of conditioning creams and lotions to enhance the condition of human skin is also well known. More specifically, cleansing agents, emollients, emulsifiers and abrading agents are also well known for improving the condition of facial skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,449 invented by Daniel et al., teaches such a skin cleaning agent and method of use which includes surfactants, a washing agent, an abrasive, adjuvants for consistency, appearance, odor and stability. Stiefel, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,747 also teaches a method of treating aging skin which includes the use of a composition containing a suspension of fine particles of non-absorbable aluminum oxide abrasive in a topically acceptable aqueous base of sodium cocoisethionate, at least one emollient and a suspending agent.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,679,877, Erilli et al. discloses a cleaning composition containing an abrasive along with paraffin sulfonate, an ethoxylated alkyl ether sulfate, essential oil and water. Another personal cleansing composition is disclosed by Fowler et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,753,245 which include insoluble micronized cleansing particles so minute as to be tacitly undetectable by the user during the cleansing process. A surfactant, an emollient and water are included in this composition.
A human skin cleansing and wrinkle-reducing cream invented by Barker is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,824. Disclosed therein is a cleansing cream which includes water soluble granules sufficient in size, quantity and hardness to abrade the keratinized outer epidermal layer of the skin. Included are water soluble vitamins and a base in which the granules are substantially uniformly disposed, preferably formed of oil and a petrolatum jelly.
Another skin cleansing and moisturizing composition is disclosed by Geria in U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,476 teaching a skin cleansing and moisturizing composition including an oil phase, an aqueous phase and an abrasive which removes oily deposits, cosmetics and particulates from the skin surface, but does not apparently abrade the facial skin itself.
Still another liquid abrasive-containing skin cleanser composition is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,533 invented by Imamura, et al. teaching a liquid cleanser composition including partially cross-linked polyacrylic acid, a hydrotrope, a non-ionic sulficant and a water insoluble abrasive.
Lastly, Banuchi, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,446, teaches a glove and an epidermal stick, each of which have skin abrading properties associated with distal portions thereof, which may be applied against the epidermal portion of the skin to effect dermabrading thereof.
The present invention provides a unique composition in paste or, preferably, cream form which affords the benefits of mild facial skin dermabrasion without ripping or tearing skin pores. Also included are selected emollients, emulsifiers, a moisturizer, a chelator and other preservatives to prolong the useful life of the composition and render it substantially non-degradating and antibacterial as quantities of the composition are finger removed from a container thereof. By using the present invention in manually scrubbing the facial skin in a circular motion for just a few minutes, almost the same level of injury to the facial skin caused by the Power Peel process is produced using the present invention. This facial skin dermabrasion speeds up the facial skin cell turnover which produces the healthier plumper facial skin cells in a short period of time.